good morning. showtime in charlotte. the democratic national convention gets under way today with the prime time speech from first lady michelle obama. we're here live. republican vice presidential nominee paul ryan joins us to talk about where he thinks the presidential race is headed and chris sichl that he played fast and loose with the truth. out and about. the prince makes his first public appearance since those naked las vegas pictures surfaced and poked fun at himself. but it was a cheeky 6-year-old who nearly stole the show. the gentle giant, michael clarke duncan, oscar nominated star of "the green mile" died after a heart attack.

tributes are pouring in from some of hollywood's biggest names today, tuesday, some of hollywood's biggest names today, tuesday, september 4th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" tuesday morning, i'm savannah guthrie in charlotte, north carolina. >> i'm matt lauer in new york. savannah, republicans had their moment in the spotlight last week. starting today, down there in charlotte, the democrats will try to grab some of that spotlight for themselves. >> that's right. this convention is opening to a very close poll for the white house. tonight michelle obama's marquis speaker visited hall on monday

and got a walkthrough. the president arrives tomorrow. former president bill clinton is set to address the 6,000 delegates. much more here straight ahead. also, savannah, are you wasting your money if you go out and buy organic food. it cost as lot more, supposed to be better for you. according to a study that's apparently for the true. we'll tell you more about that. later on "today's" professionals will be here. we have a lot to talk about. the next time you have too much to drink, can you probably blame it on the shape of the glass you're drinking out of. we'll be watching that. >> i'll be watching that with interest, matt, thank you. we want to begin with the national convention in charlotte. chuck todd, political director, white house correspondent. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. they begin the convention with a direct appeal to the voting groups crucial to the president's re-election, women and latinos.

>> preparing for a prime time speech first lady arrived in charlotte surveying the stage where she'll address delegates and doing on the campaign trail what she's been doing for her husband, women's election issues. >> this is a choice about women and families. >> reporter: michelle obama will be preceded by the keynote speaker, the 37-year-old mayor of san antonio, hullian castro. as they gear up they are put on the defensive over an argument. >> the president will say a lot of things, and he will, but he can't tell you you're better off. >> reporter: campaigning in the shadow, paul ryan attempted to channel the ousted president in 1980. >> are you better off than you were four years ago? >> reporter: over the weekend democrats at first struggled to answer that famous question. >> can you honestly say people are better off today than they were four years ago? >> no, but that's not the question of this election.

>> reporter: by monday morning the obama team retold. >> are we better off today than we were four years ago when president obama was elected. >> absolutely. >> reporter: by the afternoon in detroit, vice president biden was even more animated. >> you want to know whether we're better off, i got a little better off? i have a bumper sticker for you. osama bin laden is dead and gm is alive. >> reporter: the president using team to prepare for the presidential debate. something said did earn a retort as they sparred over their economic plans getting into a battle of sports metaphors. >> 23 million people out of work or underemployed. let me tell you, if you have a coach that's 0 and 23 million, you say it's time to get a new coach. >> he said he's going to be the coach that leads america to a winning season, and i've got one piece of advice for you about

the romney/ryan game plan, ohio. punt it away. it won't work. >> reporter: other notable speakers an moments to look for tonight, first night of the convention, a tribute to ted kennedy, jimmy carter addresses delegates by video. both the president's sister and first lady's brother will be addressing the convention. matt. >> chuck todd, thank you very much. paul ryan is the vice presidential candidate on the republican ticket. congressman ryan, it's nice to have you on the show. good morning. >> good to be with you, matt. >> thank you very much. your speech last wednesday night at the convention is still getting a lot of attention. there are some people saying you played a little fast and loose with the truth on certain key elements. i'm not just talking about democratic analysts but independent fact checkers. would you concede while many of the things you said were effective, some were not completely accurate? >> no, not in the least actually. what they are trying to suggest

is that i said barack obama was responsible for the plan shut down in janesville. that's not what i was saying. read the speech. what i was saying is the president ought to be held to account for prone promises. after the plant was shut down he said he would lead efforts to restart the plant. it's still idle. lots of people i grew up with that lost their jobs there still don't have jobs there. my point was not to label it his plant shutdown but another example of his broken proms. in 2008 he traveled all around the country making promises he would break just like in janesville. >> in my opinion it seemed like you unmistakably tried to link the president's promise to the plant which you know closed before he became president. >> the promise was he was going to open the plant. the promise was he was going to lead an effort to retool the plant so people would be open

and go back to work for 100 years. the point is he filled people with hope traveling around the country running for president making grandiose promises which are not in true. he said he would cut deficit in half, didn't do that. i know they don't like the fact we pony these facts out that they made a lot of promises that did not materialize. janesville was one more example of that. >> let's talk about the example using simpson bows recommendation. they came back with an urgent report, thanked them, sent them on their way and did nothing. you were one of the seven members of that panel and you voted against sending those recommendations to the senate basically killing any further action on them. didn't you owe it to the people in that room to say that as well? >> but if you read the next paragraph, i said republicans

offered alternatives. so here is my point. just because i didn't like that report, because i don't think it solved the problem, i didn't think it fixed the problem of runaway entitlement spending, i authored and passed through the house an alternative. what we did was took the things we liked in simpson-bowles. the president didn't do that, offer a budget to fix the problem. the senate hasn't passed a budget in three years. on simpson-bowles, it's not whether it's a good or bad plan, you owe the country the alternative, which is what we did, not what president obama did. we're going to have a debt crisis and the president hasn't shown the leadership. he needs to to prevent that from happening. >> let me ask about something not mentioned in your speech or governor romney's speech in the convention, that's the war in afghanistan. that's been a lot of our time, attention anemone and sacrifices of men and women over the last

11 years. you didn't mention it once, neither did governor romney. he's asking americans to make him the next commander in chief. how can you not remember that war? >> i think you have to remember the day before that speech mitt romney wept to the american legion and gave a lengthy speech on the topic. he was invited, did a lengthy speech the day before. >> on a more personal note you know over the next couple months you and your family are going to face enormous scrutiny. you have a wife and three young children. are you at all worried about the impact this race and this process will have on your family? >> jan and i discussed that quite a bit. months ago when i agreed to go through the vetting process, we talked about it, we prayed about it. we came to the conclusion this is such a unique time in our country's history that we really have a chance to get this country on the right track. we're on the wrong track. people are not better off than they were four years ago. because of the enormity of the challenges facing the country and the leadership we try to

provide, we just think it's such a unique moment we should serve in this capacity. sure, you always worry about your children. you always worry about your wife and your family. but we care so deeply about this country, about getting people back to work, about turning things around that we're willing to do this. >> congressman paul ryan, the vice presidential candidate on the republican side. congressman, it's nice of you to spend time with us this morning. >> thanks, matt, take care. >> thank you. let's go back now to savannah in charlotte. all right, matt. thanks. one of the nation's most hotly contested races in massachusetts where elizabeth warren challenging republican incumbent scott brown. she will speak at the convention. good morning. >> good morning. >> the dust-up in the campaign has to do with ronald reagan's famous question, are you better off than you were four years ago. is it telling initially democrats seemed to have a hard time answering this question? >> i think the important thing about this question is you have to remember exactly where we were four years ago.

the markets were crashing. the financial system was in threat of seizing up entirely and economists were talking about a worldwide depression. the recklessness on wall street cost trillions in pension money, trillions in values of people's homes and it cost millions of jobs. in other words, it was a very long fall. it's working its way back, but it's slow. >> for the campaign to say, okay, now absolutely you are better off, does it all risk a perception that the president is out of touch. as a romney spokesperson said you're doing well, you just don't know it. >> i think what happened here, a lot of people are unemployed, too many. that's very painful, painful to families, painful to the larger economy. the real question is what's the vision going forward. who is trying to fix this and how do they plan to fix it. mitt romney says the way to fix this is cut taxes for the

richest americans and for the biggest corporations, increase taxes for the middle class and stop making the investments in the future, education, roads, and bridges. the president just reverses that. he says make the top pay a fair share. don't increase taxes on the middle class, and make the investment in the future. >> you have made a career of railing against wall street. one of your famous quotes is the people of wall street broke this country. you have prime real estate at this convention, a big speaking role. are you here to argue mitt romney is the personification of that wall street greed and excess. >> i'm so delighted to be here. i'm delighted to be here representing massachusetts. what i'm going to do is i'm going to talk about what i've been working on for a very long time, many years. that is how america's middle class, america's working families are getting hammered. >> do you think romney's wall street background disqualifies him from caring about the middle

class or knowing what to do about the middle class? >> look, the way i look at this is i just look at the facts. that is what the plan they are putting forward. when romney says his plan is cut taxes for the rich and increase for the middle class, you better believe i have a problem with that. america's middle class can't stand that anymore. america's middle class has been hammered, squeezed and chipped at for a generation now. it's got to stop. >> we appreciate your time and we'll see you on the convention floor tomorrow night. >> you bet. >> nbc news will have complete coverage of the democratic national convention on nbc. let's get a check of the top stories from natalie morales. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, savannah. good morning, everyone. the wildfire that chased thousands of campers and picnickers in angeles is growing. it now covers section square miles.

it was only five percent contained overnight. they are requesting additional resources to fight the blaze start bid a car fire over the weekend. a possible tornado in central delaware. high winds damaged at least 10 homes monday ripping away shingles and siding and buckling garage doors. president obama got a firsthand look monday at damage caused by hurricane isaac just north of new orleans. tens of thousands of people in louisiana are still without power now one week after the storm. at least 65,000 have applied for federal aid. a new effort to ease the humanitarian suffering in syria. the head of the international red cross head with bashar al-assad seeking improved access to war victims. the u.s. said 1,000 refugees fled in august, the highest number since the uprising against assad began 17 months ago.

wall street is getting back to work after the long labor day weekend. cnbc's mandy drury at the stock exchange is for us. good morning, mandy. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. this is a big week for the market. a lot happening thursday, bold action from the european bank as the debt crisis really does drag on there. as of this friday, that's when our own big u.s. job support comes out. there's even some traders out there hoping for a weak number of jobs created, because that might trigger more stimulus from the u.s. central banks. those are some of the things we're watching. natalie, back to you. >> lots of headlines. we'll be watching. mandy drury at the new york stock exchange. thanks. a tractor driver stage add one-man demolition derby, smashing his big machine into a row of cars and trucks. he was quickly swarmed by other drivers who roughed him up a bit before police arrived to the rescue. they arrested him, as you see, for drunk driving. it is now 7:15, making his way

slowly out of that cab. back over to matt and al. >> all right, natalie. >> i'm going to get in that tractor and i'm going to drive me over some cars. >> mr. roker, what's happening? >> we've got some remnants of isaac to talk about here in the northeast and southeast as well. that moisture getting caught up in a cold front so it's going to be pushing some of this really right through the northeast and southeast as well. rainfall amounts from philadelphia up into new england, talking one to three inches. some areas as much as three to five inches of rain. we're also looking at a beautiful day in the pacific northwest, temperatures low- to mid-70s. a lot of heat in the midsection of the country, we'll take a look a good morning. it is a born and humid start for us. we will see some thunderstorms develop this

>> and that's your latest weather. matt. >> al, thanks a new study is out this morning which may make you think twice before spending money on organic foods. according to reservers at stanford university, they are not much healthier than convention meats, fruits or vegetables. diana in malibu with details on this. good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. if you're like me and millions of other americans you tend to reach for organic foods because you know they were grown without synthetic pesticides, antibiotics. sounds healthier. according a new study, not necessarily. if it says organic, many shoppers believe it must be better for you.

>> i do it for my health and i do it for sustainability. >> reporter: but a new study from stanford university on the health advantages of organic products over their counter-parts. they evaluated 5,000 articles and over 200 studies. >> we found there were no specific foods or fruits that had any significant difference between organic and conventional. if people are looking for a really robust evidence base for differences, we simply did not find that. >> reporter: the stanford study did find organic produce is 30% less likely to be contaminated with pesticide revenue than conventional fruits and vegetables but found both to be safe for consumption. some doctors say the study's scope was too limited. >> it matters which pesticides. some are more toxic than others. it matters how many and how much pesticide that's not taken into account. >> reporter: the organic food

business has grown tremendously over the last 20 years, it's worth over a billion dollars. a top adviser criticized the findings, because the author's very qualified conclusions do not match the data. pointing out by the study's own admission organic food does lower exposure to pesticides and resistance to antibiotics. >> when it comes to organic, food in general, we're making an investment in our body. every bite we take is an investment or debt we're taking out that we're going to have to pay someday. i think organic is an excellent investment in our health. >> reporter: many consumers say the extra cost is worth it for reasons that go beyond health. >> they last longer in your refrigerator. they taste differently. >> may not give the added health benefits but you know you're helping the smaller markets. i'd probably still do it either way. >> reporter: researchers acknowledge no study looking at the health benefits of organic food has exceeded two years, too short a period to gauge the impact they could make over a lifetime.

another positive for eating organic, the same study found organic milk and chicken have higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids associated with better health. something to think about this morning when you're pouring that coffee. matt. >> diana, thank you very much. now to some sad news from hollywood. oscar nominated actor michael clarke duncan died at a hospital monday after nearly two months of treatment following a heart attack. jason kennedy is here with more on that story. jason, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. michael clarke duncan became known not only for his physical presence but his huge heart as well. this morning fans and friends are grieving the loss of this gentle giant. towering, muscular and prolific, actor michael clarke duncan and in dozens of films. >> heard my voice. >> his baritone royce instantly

recognizable. >> i'm a little emotional. >> reporter: eight weeks ago he suffered a heart attack and according to a spokeswoman he never fully recovered. he died at cedar sinai. duncan became a hollywood favorite after appearing in what would become his most mom rabble law alongside tom hanks as a gentle giant and quibed murder mer in "the green mile" based on the steven king novel of the same name. >> just give out. >> reporter: the role earned duncan an academy award nomination for best actor. >> he became john coffey. he was the epitome of good. he became his character. >> reporter: with his big smile and bigger build he seemed suited for everything. in action films like "sin city." >> the name is ricky, ricky bobby. >> reporter: and comedies like talladega nights and school for

scoundrels. >> i'm going to bite those lips off. >> reporter: he also lent his unique voice to several animated movies including kung fu panda. his rise to fame was unlikely. born in chicago in 1957 and raised by a single mother who objected to him playing football, he turned to acting instead. in his 20s he paid the business as a bodyguard for such high-profile stars as will smith and jamie foxx. >> held okay, this is michael clarke duncan for peta. i became a vegetarian three years ago. >> reporter: earlier this year duncan and in a video by peta in which he spoke about becoming a vegetarian and how healthy he felt. >> for guys out there, don't think you have to have steaks to get your protein. >> reporter: he's survived by his fiancee, reality tv star omarosa. in a statement she said she's grateful for outpouring of

prayers and support. michael clarke duncan was just 54 years old. tom hanks said he's terribly saddened at the loss of big mike calling him the treasure we all discovered on "the green mile" set. the movie's producers and director said michael clarke was the gentlest of souls and among the finest people he's known. >> thank you very much. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

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still ahead a new kind of crime family caught on tape. grandmother's, even babies being used to rip off jewelry stores. savannah. prince harry's first public appearance since that infamous trip to las vegas. the story after your local news. . just trying to look our best. gonna take more than looks. from what i hear, ms. haskins is a toughy. oh we had a good breakfast, so we're ready. [ female announcer ] packed with fiber and nearly a day's worth of whole grains. kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal... keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused. don't hide behind your lipstick.-wheats cereal... use it to show the world how you feel.

and today, i feel daring. [announcer:] revlon super lustrous lipstick. mega moisturizing formula in 82 stay true colors. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. police are asking for the public's help to identify and divert it and say struck pedestrian. authorities say they found 0 when lying on southbound route 1 at hickory bypass. witnesses say she had been waiting cars down when a driver swerved to avoid her but hit her with the passenger side mirror and then sped off. the 20-year-old is in stable condition at shock trauma.

and one with information is asked to call maryland state police. let's check on the morning commute with kim dacey and traffic pulse oliphant. >> we have a situation on northbound 95 just north of caton avenue. we have a right lane blocked. in baltimore county and upperco area, gorsuch mill road, that is shot down and has been all morning. some degree is shutting down route 136 between route 24 and this road. we are seeing delays on the outer loop west side of the beltway. 24 minutes all the way down to 95. nine minutes on 895 southbound. this is a live look outside at caton avenue. you can see that the right lane is blocked off and traffic is creeping to get by in the city.

these are the delays on the topside at harford road. tony, over to you. >> we are off to a fairly quiet start. two point is 72. it feels humid. nothing showing up on hd doppler, at least for right now. there will be thunderstorms developing this

7:20 tuesday morning, 4th of september, 2012. you're looking at a brazen crime in process. kids and babies used to divert attention while someone else robs a jewelry store. you know what, they are getting away with it and police are frustrated. more on that story straight ahead. i'm matt lauer, savannah is at the democratic national convention in charlotte. savannah, good morning again. >> hey, matt. it's no accident they are meeting in south carolina. this is how convincingly this state won after years of going republican the president pulled out a narrow win.

fast forward to today and polls show mitt romney with a four-point lead in north carolina. the democrats are hoping this will give the president a boost in this state and other swing states around the country. just ahead prince harry shows a different side of himself at his first public appearance after his trip to las vegas. we'll go to london for details on that. a little later "today's" professionals of weigh in on hot topics including on a controversial program to get mothers to breastfeed. a veteran umpire in jail for killing her husband and her family opening up about her arrest. good morning to you. >> reporter: some of headline writers calling it death by coffee cup. charged with beating her husband with a coffee cup and stabbing

him with remnants. her lawyers and family said there's no way she could have done it. lois ann goodman arrested in her official togs on the way for the qualifying rounds and was back to las vegas for the murder charge of her 80-year-old husband. her daughter, who with other relatives and friends set audiotape website to start a defense fund insists there's no way her mom could have done it. >> my mother is a wonderful person, married to my father happily for 50 years, who never fought and always had a loving relationship. >> reporter: at first investigators believed her story. >> she came home, found her husband dead in their bed. se surmised he muff had a heart attack and fallen down the stars. >> the coroner's findings. >> he died of blunt, sharp object. >> reporter: that object according to the arrest warrant,

a dangerous weapon, to wit, coffee cup. they helped her pledge bail, 40,000 in cash, real estate, even cars. >> wasn't enough to get your mother out? >> no, it wasn't. not at all. >> we had to sell assets. >> reporter: goodman's lawyer said her constant spinal pain would have made her use of a coffee cup as a weapon inconceivable. >> i would say in this case it is physically impossible and the evidence will show it was physically impossible for her to have committed this offense. >> reporter: what police say is alan goodman had multiple stab wounds in his head and frag men's of porcelain that broke after early blows. he lay dying as his wife went out to have her nails done and rev a local tennis turm. she has pled not guilty and her daughter knows that's the truth.

>> all i can tell you is my mother did not do it. she's not capable physically or emotionally to do it. >> reporter: good man is due in court in october. meanwhile hees at home and required to wear an electronic monitor. if found guilty, she'll be sentenced to life in prison. >> mike taibbi on this story, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> "today's" weather brought to you by edward jones. nearly 7 million investors already know face time makes a difference. >> and we've got kind of a warm, humid, sticky day, right? that's the way we feel about it. see what we have. we have heat to talk but it. sticky. austin, texas, feels like 109. in new orleans feel likes 103. memphis, 103 as well. oklahoma city an air temperature of 104. look at those temperatures.

100s and 90s in the upper plains. our friends in mississippi, alabama, louisiana, without power. it's a rough day today. hundreds in the southwest. 104 in phoenix. beautiful in the pacific northwest. wet weather for the southeast all the way into the northeast and new england. >> good morning.trong storms in we're starting out with some light rain shower activity in some neighborhoods. scattered thunderstorms will and that's your latest weather. matt. >> all right, al. thank you very much. prince harry made his first public outing last night since he was because the on camera

living it up in las vegas. nbc's michelle kosinski is in london. she has more on this. michelle, good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, matt. he actually made a very subtle joke last night. prince harry didn't seem to mind being the center of attention in las vegas. it was just once those pictures came out of him out of his clothes. now the cameras are on once again as event yours out to do some good deeds. low key for prince harry. no screaming crowds, just a wry smile and salute. everyone wanted a glimpse of hem out of the privacy of his palace to meet and honor brave children battling illness. >> going forward i'll give it a go. >> reporter: just maybe a hint of what happened a few weeks ago across the pond. harry could not escape a

6-year-old jokester. >> i'm joined by an extremely well behaved at least so far 6-year-old alex logan. thank you, alex. >> one of the kids with leukemia being awarded, listen to what he said hours before the ceremony on national tv. >> what are you going to say to prince harry if you bump into him this evening? have you given that any thought yet? what might you say? >> i am glad you have got your clothes on, prince harry. >> i'd try, how are you, sir, and then go for the clothes thing. >> reporter: now being called cheek y, he ended up telling the prince about his stuffed penguin. harry seems to warn him a bit. the last time cameras found harry he looked bashful or stunned after headlines, naked harry partying in his hotel suite. he seemed to be the life of the pool party before hand as well.

now back on the straight and narrow starting with making children smile. >> you've got to say, look, you've got away with it this time. maybe you can get away with it after a very good year but don't let it happen again of that's when people will start finding less sympathy with you. >> harry also visited the paralympics. at least he can rely on sister-in-law pippa middleton to take away the media glare. she was found playing tennis, shoes off, hair down, low key for this member of the family on american shores. did anyone benefit from harry's misadventure? in addition to people trying to sell the photos, the charity did. with everyone watching harry's appearance there, it also focused on the enormous attention that the good the well child organization does. matt. >> all right. michelle kosinski. thank you very much. you might want to move your car.

up next a bizarre crime wave. families caught on tape using grandmother's, even babies to rob stores blind. why police can't seem to catch them. right after this. [ music playing ]

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[ man ] grounded to the ground? yes, yes! grounded to the ground. [ male announcer ] see their story and more at the camry effect. camry. from toyota. back now at 7:42. this morning on rossen reports, a crime wave sweeping the country police cannot seem to stop. these crimes have a bit of a bizarre twist. today's national investigative correspondent jeff rossen here to explain this. good to see you. >> good to see you. welcome back from tampa. we've heard of organized crime, you think of the mafia. now there's a new family in town, a crime family taking it

to another level using grandparents, small children and even babies to rob stores blind. miss say they call themselves gypsies going to extremes. this morning you're about to see them in action with cameras rolling. this little girl looks lost asking the clerk for help but she's really helping to rob this jewelry store blind. her relative sneaking behind the counter to clean out the safe. at another store this family is using a baby to divert attention as a relative grabs the jewels. >> the woman will carry the baby. it lowered your guard. who is going to think a woman walking into a store with a baby is going to commit a theft. >> reporter: police say that's their mo. this rolling band of family thieves crisscrosses the country robbing at least 11 stores so far using their children as diversions. >> they have been known to possibly pinch the baby to make it cry. that will divert attention. >> they pinch the baby to make

it cry. >> they have been known to pinch the baby to make it cry. >> when the clerk is diverted, the family strikes. they have been tracking them for years. >> sort of a family business. >> mothers, fathers, cousins, brothers, sisters. they are taught to do this from a very young age. >> reporter: she say they are from romania, slipping into the u.s. with one goal, to steal. at this store in illinois, they walked in, looked at jewelry, and some even bought little trinkets. >> people i thought were customers, turns out they were ripping me off. >> back here with the safe. >> and they are cleaning you out. >> cleaning me out. >> john says the family stole $10,000 worth of diamonds and got away clean. it's all a highly orchestrated plot in this houston heights, the family got away with half a million dollars. a few women and a baby are here shopping. innocent, right? then more family members show up, posing as customers, asking

questions. the store owners are suddenly so busy, the family can make its big move. did you see that? look again, a relative sneaks behind the counter and back to the safe undetected, swiping the jewels. even her long skirt is part of the getaway plan. >> once they have committed the crime, how do they smuggle the loot out. >> they wear a booster weapon, tight this around their waist under their skirt. >> shove it in here. >> a pillow case so it doesn't go anywhere. >> exactly. >> right here she's stuffing gold under her shirt police say in one of those booster aprons. it's so full she can barely waddle out. >> i've seen it on 4-year-old children. >> reporter: this one tiny, made for a 4-year-old girl, tiny hearts and all. they dash away disappearing with the loot. their crimes may be caught on camera but catching this

traveling crime family, police say, is nearly impossible. they move constantly and live off the grid. left behind, the helpless victims who lose so much. >> it just made me feel vulnerable. maybe it hardens you a little bit. >> look, police are frustrated. these crime families keep getting away wit. federal authorities have been able to id a few of them and issued warrants for their arrest. next time they pop up on the border, police hope to nab them. even if they are caught, the punishment, matt, isn't severe at all. no real jail time. >> how do you steal half a million dollars worth of jewelry and not have jail time. >> it's caught on tape, too. >> jeff rossen, thank you very much. up next, an oscar member and former member of the church of scientology about a new claim the church auditioned potential brides for tom cruise. we'll have that right after this.

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we're back now at 7:49 with insight on the claim that the church of scientology auditioned potential wives for tom cruise before his marriage to katie holmes. natalie is here on that. natalie. >> it comes from a new "vanity fair" article. once again the church of scientology is finding itself on the defensive over its best known member. actress katie holmes on the upcoming "vanity fair" with the headline, what katie didn't know, marriage scientology style. after the breakup with nicole kidman and before his romantic whirlwind with katie holmes, the church of scientology had a top secret project to find him a new wife, his third. "vanity fair" article said they set up, quote, an audition process in which actresses already members were called in, said they were auditioning for a

new training film. mark said he saw the project. >> it was under the guys of a tom cruise project but no lines read. they were asking him what do they think of tom cruise. what are they doing in scientology, how far had they progressed in auditing, scientology training. >> reporter: he left the church in 2005 and unsuccessfully sued it while the church accused him of embezzlement, no charges were filed. the whole process led the church to select this actress for cruise. she was a regular last year on the tv show "how i met your mother?" according to "vanity fair" cruise ended the relationship after two months and she was sent to a church center forced to do menial work. the church denies that. but a former scientologist who directed the oscar winning film

"crash" said he knew her and e-mailed and said the actress told him the story. >> she had been collected to be tom cruise's girlfriend and possible wife. when it didn't work out, she was treated very badly by scientology. paul was just appalled by this. >> reporter: in a statement to nbc news, the church wrote, quote, the allegations about the church supposedly auditioning prospective brides for tom cruise is a false piece of gossip that's been floating around the tabloids for several years sourced to a group of anti-scientologists. >> the actress's publicist said she had no comment. a spokesperson for tom cruise reiterated, lies in a different font are style lies designed to sell magazines. >> still ahead, jamie lee curtis on the importance of trying something new. we love her. "today's" professionals after your local news. [ female announcer ] over the years,

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara teare is kim dacey and traffic pulse 11. >> we are getting word of an accident on northbound j.f.x. and coldspring lane, with two right lanes blocked there. northbound 95 am caton avenue, we have clean up continuing for crash there. it has moved off to the shoulder, but the off ramp remains blocked. all lanes at 95 are back open. in the upperco area, route 25 remains shut down between one under 27 and gorsuch mill road. in harford county, we have some degree shutting down route 136

between 24 and link this road. we will give you a look outside and check on the major roadways. this is 95 and caton avenue. all lanes of 95 northbound are open. that off ramp remains block. switching over to in my view of the top side of the beltway are for the road. delays forming on the outer loop. typical for this time of morning. tony has a check of the forecast. >> after an active night, things have settled down to mostly cloudy, muggy and uncomfortable. we will see a few more thunderstorms develop later on this afternoon. this morning, there is not a whole lot going on. this afternoon, just like yesterday, hit and miss thunderstorms will develop. if you went underneath one of those, you will pick up an inch of rain quickly. same story tomorrow. scattered showers and thunderstorms on wednesday. chance for rain tapers off at

the end of the week. there will be another system coming in on saturday night and sunday and monday with another chance for showers and thunderstorms.

the 4th day of december, 2012. kind of a cloudy start in new york city. say hello to everybody gathered in rockefeller plaza. good morning again. i'm savannah guthrie live at the democratic national convention in charlotte, north carolina. matt and al are back in new york city. guys, the convention kicks off, of course, tonight with first lady michelle obama's speech. we will break down what she has to say tomorrow on "today" and talk to president obama's former chief of staff former chicago mayor ram emanuel. we'll show you how much money is spent on lavish parties at these conventions. that's one thing democrats and republicans have in common.

>> all right, savannah. we'll check you out with that tomorrow morning. also morning here from new york "today's" professionals are right inside the building. star, donny and dr. nancy are gathered. among the topics we'll ask them to discuss, if you're drinking a beverage out of a glass, soft drink, wine, beer, does the shape of the glass influence how much you actually drink. we're going to sip on that and some other topics in a few minutes. >> 55-gallon drum. >> that's a bad shape. >> jamie lee curtis is in the house. we love her. she's got a new book. she's going to tell us why she wants us to break out of our comfort zone and try something new with her latest children's book. >> we'll get to that. first inside to natalie at the news desk. she has a check of the headlines. >> good morning, matt and al. good morning, everyone. democrats will have a shot at the spotlight as their convention gets under way. all eyes will be on michelle

obama's who will tout her husband's record on women's issue. over the three-day convention she plans to speak to african-american, hispanic and women's kmpbs and address a gay and lesbian luncheon. a wildfire in angeles national forest disrupted labor day fans for at least 1,000 people who needed to evacuate the blaze. more than 4,000 acres burned since sunday and the rugged steep terrain is making it difficult to contain plains. gulf coast flooded one week after hurricane isaac made landfall. damage from the storm could top $2 billion. gabe gutierrez in la place, louisiana. >> so far 6,000 residents have applied for disaster aid. many feel ignored because new orleans has upgraded levees but they do not. seven years after katrina, president obama couldn't resist

bringing it up. >> i want to particularly thank fema and the state and local authorities, because sometimes in the past we haven't seen the kind of coordination that is necessary in response to these kinds of disasters. this time we've seen it. >> reporter: on the ground for almost three hours in louisiana, he had this pledge for the small town isaac harmed. >> at the federal level we are getting on the case very quickly about figuring out what exactly happened here, what can we do do make sure it doesn't happen again. >> reporter: this is what happened last wednesday morning in laplace, the height of the storm captured on home video. >> i just couldn't believe it was happening. we're friends with all these people. it just breaks your hard. >> they are cleaning up. other neighborhoods, still with standing water, are in worse shape. >> no levee, nowhere to go but this way.

>> reporter: three days after mitt romney toured the region. some residents had this message for president obama. >> i would ask him to make sure people who live in the neighborhood are protected from the floodwaters not just the big cities. >> reporter: the number of customers in louisiana without power dropped significantly overnight to about 44,000. natalie. >> gabe gutierrez laplace, louisiana. thanks, gabe. a look at what's trending, a roundup what has you talking online. actor michael a clark duncan died at 54. he suffered a heart attack and never recovered. he earned an oscar nomination for his supporting role in "the green mile." his co-star tom hanks saying he was the treasure we found on the set. he was magic, a big love of man. his passing leaves us all stunned. the tooth fairy is getting more generous in her old age, according to a visa survey leaving an average of $3 per

tooth under a kid's pillow with a lucky kid getting as much as $20. visa launching iphone and ipad app calculator on the facebook page to keep up with the grog rate. this video going viral of president obama trying to reconnect with american youth and his re-election by enlisting the help of "harold & kumar" at the democratic convention. >> there's a lot at stake here. just remember i'm trusting you on this and i'll see you then. >> who was that? >> the president. >> sweet. [ laughter ] >> kal penn who hosts kumar hosting an online celebrity panel at the convention on thursday. it is 8:05, you're up to date. another check with al of the

weather. >> wow, that's pretty cool. thanks so much, natalie. girls weekend. >> what happens in new york stay in new york? >> absolutely. >> okay. a wink is as good as an eye. let's see what we have for you. we've got a couple of systems out here, especially the ones we're watching tropical storm leslie, 545 miles south southeast of bermuda. threaten bermuda but such a big storm it will probably cause damaging rip currents and high waves along the eastern seaboard. later this week, look for more showers and thunderstorms in the southeast. the cold front more rain upper midwest, chicago, down into st. louis. a beautiful day along the west coast, 87 in lal, 76 in seattle. wet weather humid on into new england with scattered showers and thunderstorms through at

good morning. it is a born and humid start for us. we will see some thunderstorms develop this >> and that's your latest weather. mr. lauer. >> mr. roker, thanks very much. when we come back today's professionals join us inside the studio, star, donny, dr. nancy right after these messages. cist: charles walgreen had a mission to help people be happy and healthy. from inventing the first chocolate malt... to creating a nonprofit pharmacy for our troops... to the first child safety caps. walgreens has been innovating for over a hundred years.

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try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air. star jones, donny deutsch and dr. nancy snyder man here to tackle today's hottest headlines. guys, ladies, good morning. >> good morning, matt. >> let's start with this book released, no easy day. this is the story written by a former navy s.e.a.l. about the raid that killed osama bin laden. it's controversial because people say he's broken the code of silence for navy s.e.a.l.s. the pentagon says they may prosecutor the guy if he's deemed to have broken a nondisclosure form he signed. how do we feel about the book. >> i hate a navy s.e.a.l. has even been put in this position.

they are the bravest people. we rely on them. however, if he violated his oath to his fellow s.e.a.l.s, there is a problem with that. >> is it real that you can't write a book about something if you don't give up trade secrets. >> just a matter talking about what a s.e.a.l. does giving up trade secrets. >> my concern is team. i'm wondering if he's writing the book, if he's going to share proceeds with the team. >> he said a lot is going to charity. >> let it all go. is he a hero? >> now former navy s.e.a.l.s he served with came out with an ebook of his own criticizing him -- goes under the name of mark owens criticizing him for breaking the code, saying unflattering things about his time as a s.e.a.l., he's no

longer a s.e.a.l. do two wrongs make a right. >> we're in a society, a royal, a celebrity, a s.e.a.l., if it's not written about, filmed, doesn't exist. >> if there wasn't a osama bin laden, would there be a book and would we care? >> the s.e.a.l.s do something all over the world every day and we don't know about it, which we do not know about it. >> presales are through the roof. a lot of interest. mark owen is in hiding because he's worried about threats against his family. not only from americans but al qaeda. after all, he's writing the story about being one of the guys that killed osama bin laden. >> he wrote under a pseudonym, we know who he is. he's going to be on a television show but under shadow so it's all crazy. >> let's move on. we talk about the nanny state from time to time on this show. there as new program launched by mayor bloomberg in new york city, a voluntary program called latch on, new york city. the goal is to get more new mothers to breastfeed.

what's at the crux of this? >> the crux is we want more women to brust feed. breastfeeding has advantages over bottle feeding. bottles are available to give out to moms but it will now be behind the nurses' station under lock and key, a nurse can get it if requested. >> anyone knows in the past when mothers give birth, they wake up, right in the room there's formula, goodie bags. >> goodie bags disappear and any connection to a pharmaceutical company disappears. >> in new york city our new york city hospitals stopped doing goodie bags a long time ago when it came to pharmaceuticals. >> mayor bloomberg, step away from the breast. listen to me. this is what happens when you have a $20 billion mayor at the end of his third term that says i don't give a damn. the good news and bad news about this guy. this is absurd. >> he feels it's for the public good. >> he feels it's for the public good. >> some priem agree with him.

>> on breastfeeding, phenomenally political left and right. >> it's not the issue. >> what mayor bloomberg has done in the past is say that public health matters, which is why he's gone forward to limiting access to sugary drinks. >> that's different. that's costing taxpayers money. this is not. >> here is the thing that's going to really infuriate women, it's a man telling women what to do. if breastfeeding was so darn easy it wouldn't be an issue. >> thumbs-up or thumb's down. >> thumb's down. >> i don't think necessarily. >> let's move on to you can't handle the truth. this weekend paul ryan vice presidential candidate on the republican side got into a little hot water when he fudged results from a marathon he ran several years ago, said he ran it in low threes or under three, meaning two hours. turns out crack investigators at runner's world magazine wanted to know more about that. they did a little digging.

they found he only ran one marathon when he was 20 years old, ran it in over four years. scale of one to ten. ten is disaster. one is why are we talking about it? >> four. >> five. here is why. i think if you tape recorded every human being 24/7 for a number of years, without knowing it there might be a slip of the tongue. >> he's running for vice president. you don't get a pass on that. >> he's not talking about policy. i genuinely believe -- i'm a democrat. i don't think -- >> why lie? >> counselor, there's no motive. it's not like he all of a sudden -- >> do you think he didn't remember or fudged it. >> you know what, it is impressive to run a marathon in four hours. hell, for me in four days. what i'm saying is you don't have to lie. >> do you actually think this guy said, he's running for office, i'm going to take off an hour. >> just about everybody who has run a marathon can tell you

exactly how long. >> in this day and age you can find the truth everywhere. >> finally university of bristol in england released results of a ground breaking study that may tell you why you or someone you know may drink more alcohol sometimes than others. is it stress? is it hunger? is it football? >> yeah. >> no, it's the shape of the glass that you're drinking out of. >> it's all visual. >> the curvature of a glass is sexier, you're going to continue to drink it and enjoy it. that long, straight glass, that's it. >> the glasses with the tube going into their mouth. >> that's the wrong shape. >> i think it makes sebs. >> you buy into this, all about shape and aesthetics. >> no, we have to many -- >> any shape of any container make you eat or drink more? >> no. the visual aspect absolutely

makes a difference. >> why does it make a difference? >> larger bowls when you think it's this much -- you think you have this much wine, you think you drink more. a smaller glass, taller o. >> for me the pringles container. that you very much. good to see you all. up next award winning actress, author and fantastic person jamie lee curtis right after this. there are project. and there are game-changers. those ideas that start with us rolling up our sleeves... ...and end with a new favorite room in the house. and when we can save even more on those kinds of projects... ...with advice to make them even better... ...that's a game-changer in itself. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. maximize your budget with mosaic tile, starting at just $3.98 per square foot.

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back now at 8:21 with golden globes winner jamie lee curtis. she's known in the movie world but lately a star of children's books. "my brave year of high fives." good morning. >> good morning. >> i love this book of it's so great. you've not done your first movie, not your first child, not your first boork, why a book on firsts. >> i recognize how completely -- what's the term when you say you're going to do something but don't do it. hypocritical. you're a hypocritical parent. you ask children to try new things every day yet we don't do anything new. every single day asking a child to face a fear, reach a new boundary, try new food, try no activity. come on, try it, you'll like it.

you'll like it. yet we as adults don't. so it's a book about trying new things for new children, being brave. yet as adults i hope the message is we have to practice what we preach. >> absolutely. you can dream about being a children's author but it worked so well to you. >> everything that ever happened to me happened by accident. an actor by accident. i met my husband by seeing his picture in a magazine by accident saying i'm going to marry him. >> if only it were so easy. >> that's how it happened. it has been in my way. if i get in the way of something it doesn't work out well. i try to be open in the books that come to me in a way that is organic. it's art. >> true. >> art is organic and these books are organic to me. >> you have to be open to it as the book itself, such a great lesson for that. >> you told me a personal story, i hope you don't mind. >> no, i said my son had a first yesterday. my 4-year-old had an accident.

>> he fell down, bumped his head. you were talking about bravery. >> courage. >> children are brave. we take it for granted that they are brave. they are facing new things every day. your son had a first where he had to face being afraid, having stitches, which is painful, and frightening, the whole energy of an accident. yet he now has done that for the first time. you as a parent have done that for the first time. >> i think it was worse for me than him? >> you're a parent. you want life to be sweet and delicious for children. life is filled with challenges. who learned how to ride a bike and didn't fall off the first time and get a scrape or feel that. i think our ego as adults gets in the way. we don't want to look bad. like if i went to a zumba class, i would look foolish, i would

like uncoordinated and not know what i'm doing. >> you're a gazelle. >> i'm ledden. >> no you are not. in fact, in good housekeeping magazine you sit down and talk with them about how as adults we let ourselves get in the way. as adults we don't do anything new. trying something new and challenging yourself is what life is all about. why is it we're not trying anything as we get older? >> because we're afraid of looking foolish. we're afraid we're going to look bad, and it holds us in a prison. yet we want our children to try new things. so for the magazine, they said what's something if you you've never done. i know this seems silly but i have never done a mile. i'm a leaden runner, top heavy. there's a tweet picture of myself when i ran a 5k. >> the finish line. >> i trained for it. i worked toward it. i was terrified. i showed up by myself on the day of the race with no one else

around me except thousands of other runners, and i faced a fear. could i do it? could i finish? and i was able to complete a >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's check on the morning commute also 11. only the left lane gets by here. caton avenue, cleanup continues. the off ramp to caton avenue remains shut down. topside of the beltway, delays on the outer loop over to providence road. that is the latest from traffic pulse 11. let's check on the forecast with tony pann. >> yesterday evening we had a big thunderstorms. things settle down this morning.

he and his light rain showers. nothing of any consequence. dew point is 72. well to be monday at 87%. we still have the same set up in the atmosphere, and that will produce big thunderstorms this afternoon. nothing showing up right now. as we go into the afternoon hours, hit and miss thunderstorms develop again. if you get underneath one of those, inch of rain. for now, not a whole lot going on. warm and humid day. chance for a few showers or thunderstorms. best chance will be this afternoon. same story tomorrow. i'm hoping we get a little break from the action on thursday and friday. another chance for rain but

starting on saturday night and sunday. >> another update at 8:56.

it is 8:30 on tuesday morning, the 4th day of september, 2012. it's a back to school day around the country, back to workday for us. these folks managed to stretch the weekend one more day. we've got to find out how they did that. first of all, matt lauer along with natalie morales, al roker, savannah is covering the

democratic convention in charlotte, north carolina. we'll see more of her tomorrow. recent study looked at all college majors and tried to find out which major would give you the best chance at a lucrative career after you graduate. you want a hint? >> yes. >> history and english did not make the cut. we're going to take a look at what did make the top ten. if you've got a student in college or high schooler thinking about college, this is important information. >> okay. also ahead improving your marriage perhaps by learning from mistakes of others who ended up getting divorced. we're going to talk to the author of a new book saying the title of the book, "you can be right or you can be married" certainly starting a lot of conversations. >> starting fights. >> julian michaels, so low key, such a wall flower. that's the jillian we know.

a tough no nonsense trainer, also a new mom of two. we're going to catch up with her and she's got a special announcement coming up. >> great. congratulations to her. before we do that, how about a check of the weather. >> a little hot and humid, sticky here in the northeast. as we take a look, strong storms, central mississippi river valley, fantastic day in the northwest. wet weather for the coast, northeast and new england. tomorrow we expect that risk of strong storms making their way into the upper ohio river valley, heavy rain in the southeast, sunny and hot through texas, southwest, fabulous day, plains states looking nice with >> good morning.d weather. we're starting out with some light rain shower activity in some neighborhoods. scattered thunderstorms will

>> don't forget, check the weather any time you need it, go to the weather channel online -- weather channel on cable, weather.com online or as we say in dog, woof woof. >> when we come back, how to improve your marriage by learning from some relationships that have failed. first this is "today" on nbc. hmmm, i don't think i took my pill today. there's birth control you don't have to think about taking every day or even every year. i'm painting my arms. i want another child, but not for a while.

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it's also approved to treat heavy periods. "today's" relationships. this morning how to make your marriage thrive by learning from those who couldn't. why do some couples make it while others fail? it's the ultimate question in the complicated journey of love and family. >> when i saw sue's photograph,

i realized i just knew instantly this was the woman i would marry. >> at first glance bruce and sue have the perfect relationship. they felt like soul mates after meeting in their 20s and they married and had two sons. >> we jus really loved each other and it was beautiful. >> but after 15 years they began to drift. >> i just don't think we were expressing ourselves to each other. >> reporter: and bruce met another woman. >> he fell in love. it was very, very hard on both of us. >> reporter: bruce cut it off to try to save their marriage. despite intensive therapy they found it too hard to reconcile. sue found it hard to let go of the hurt. >> once we've gone so long without being in sync, or there's infidelity, the pain is so terrible, we feel so disrespected, we feel digging our way out is impossible.

>> reporter: they didn't let their divorce ruin their friendship. in writing, if you ever need me, i won't be far away, bruce realized their love evolved. despite living separate lives, in many ways they are closer than ever. >> even though the marriage contract is over, the love still remains and i'm sure always will. >> good morning to both of you. great to have you here. >> good morning. >> with that title, "you can be right or you can be married" it's provocative at the very least. what do you mean by it? >> it's a piece of advice given to me by someone i interviewed who came appropriately from her stepmother trying to tell her how to fight productively, if you fight to be right, you fight to win, there's a loser or there's somebody who is going to be not part of the union. you should never prioritize the individual over the union.

it's really just teaching us how to be fair and how to keep the eye on mutual agreement. >> there's a lot of good takeaway in the book. you say success may come from our failures. that's exactly what you found. by interviewing hundreds of men and women and their stories about divorce, some salacious details, including the secret affairs of one woman at the waldorf astoria to the cross dressing husband, what is some of the -- what are some of the most intimate details that you found that we can talk about? >> well, what's interesting about those stories you mentioned, the man who actually is a therapist, who is a cross dresser, his first marriage dissolved because he wasn't able to explore that side of himself. he's someone who likes to dress up like a woman occasionally and be with a man. now in his second marriage, he was really open about his desires, put it all on the table. this is me, this is what i like, who i am.

do you want to get married and have a family. i'm really interested in leading a heterosexual life. now they have two kids. once a week, he is allowed to dress up like a woman and see his boyfriend. >> very open. that's a new definition of an open marriage. right? in the book there's a lot of stories about infidelity. you actually concluded in the cases where there was adultery, the marriages didn't end because of the act. most of the time people cheated because they were unhappy at home. do you think people are driven into affairs? is that what you found by talking to those couples? >> that's a slippery slope to say you made me do it. i think the key to any relationship is really taking responsibility. if you're unhappy really expressing that and saying i'm unhappy because of x, y, off z and let's try to work on it. a lot of times people are seeking validation elsewhere because they feel unloved, unseen, unsexy. they become very vulnerable to the attention of other people. i do think a lot of times they are unhappy at home. rarely will you find a couple

very, very happy together and one of them -- >> cheats. let's bring in the therapy session here. what are some of the most common mistakes couples do make? >> people fail to protect quality time, couple time. you get so difficult with kids, job, extended family members. you forget you're a couple first. so often people become invisible to each other. they don't have that way of reconnecting. oftentimes they don't talk about stuff. that pink elephant becomes a stampede. you have to talk about hot button topics likes sex and money, difficulties you have. if you don't talk about it, it becomes problematic. sharing way too much information about your relationship with other people, have one confidant, not someone who won't understand, when gow to family dinner nobody talking to them. >> sometimes people think divorce is the best solution. even if there are kids involved,

couples are simply incompatible. are there ways to work through, if you are couples fighting to keep that marriage going? >> there's many ways to work through it. sometimes you have to focus on the positive. lots of times we can give you a laundry list of the negative things. at the end of the day we focus on what we do have rather than what we don't have. nurturing the relationship is key. if the grass is greener, maybe you better water the grass on your own side. focus on the love language. that can help lots of things. >> i know you're single. are you going to stay single after writing the book? >> i think the book has given me very helpful voices in my head. >> enlightened man, good husband material. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> again, the book is called "you can be right or you can be married." coming up next, the most lucrative college majors for your kids but first this is "today" on nbc.

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>> back at 8:43. in this economy many college graduates are finding it can be really hard to get jobs right out of school. but there are professions that are hiring and paying pretty good salaries. kaitlyn, the online editor for kiplinger's personal finance magazine which just ranked the ten best college majors that can lead to lucrative careers. is that the criteria, salary, availability of jobs? is that what drove this ranking? >> we were looking at four things, median salary, unemployment rates for graduates and starting salary. >> one thing you found is students heading to college might stop and think how long they need to go. it's not necessarily all about four year degrees. >> there are some associate degrees that have better job

prospects that bachelor degrees. >> let's get right to the list, medical assisting services, people who help with administrative services for doctors. why is that good? >> right out of school, 2.9 unemployment rate. basically graduates are assured a job. >> what's the salary. >> mid-40s to $50,000. >> pretty good starting salary. >> yes. >> number nine, management information systems. this is basically work in the i.t. field. >> this is people doing i.t. for major corporations, a lower unemployment rate but you see a strong salary, starting at $51,000. >> number eight is an interesting one, construction services. people looking at this difficulty recovery saying not a lot of people are building things. you have a caveat, a certain kind of service. >> ecofriendly, retrofitting old buildings. because the population is growing, more buildings and roads. >> ecofriendly. next three are specialized

industries but still only require a bachelor's degree, medical technologies, electrical engineering and chemical engineer, number five. doesn't have the greatest job growth but you think look to the future. >> a lot of chemical engineers are expected to retire in the next 10 years. >> that presents opportunities for people looking for jobs. number four you have treatment therapy professions. what are those. >> a little bit of a mouthful. essentially talking about things like recreational therapists, radiation therapists, those type of careers. >> do they require only four-year degree. >> they do. >> only four year degree. >> uh-huh. >> number three you have transportation sciences and technology. i don't remember seeing that on my college brochure. what exactly does that mean? >> a little vague. wieber talking about air nautical, aviation technology. these people are probably going to work for airline manufacturers. >> what kind of job availability is there out there for these people.

>> it's good. a growing field. again, this is another place where we expect a lot of people to retire in the next decade or so. >> looked at the median salary, starting out in the 50s with growth beyond that. >> absolutely. >> number two is going to surprise people, let's spend a little time on that, nursing. >> nursing is an excellent field first because there's so much demand, only 2.2% unemployment rate, which is extraordinary. salaries are also pretty strong. >> what about the requirements in terms of time studying. >> that can go either way. some states will actually allow a nurse with an associate's degree to practice. as with all other things if you stay two more years, get the bachelors you're going to have a better job prospects. >> are prospects better regionally. with all of these things do you need to make sure you're in the right part of the country to take advantage of these opportunities? >> you're going to need nurses anywhere but in rural areas, underserved cities better perks. >> the number one major you think will provide for possibly

lucrative careers, pharmacy and pharmacology. >> really the way to go. 100 top majors, most popular in the u.s., only one with a six-figure salary. so over the course of your career, you can expect to make about $105,000 as a pharmacist. >> can you really get one of these jobs with just a bachelor's degree? >> that's a great question. to be a pharmacist you do need to have some kind of post grad position, pharmacologist or researcher in a lab you can get those jobs after four years. >> communications, history and english, how did they do? >> not so well. >> it's not just me. there's a lot of us in here. kaitlyn, thanks very much. appreciate it. up next, a no nonsense trainer jillian michaels on becoming a new mom and getting your kids in shape. first this is "today" on nbc.

break into a sweat. she's tough, fit, called extreme. jillian michaels a household name as a trainer on the biggest loser before leaving the show in may of last year. jillian michaels is back. good morning. >> good morning. >> big announcement. >> big announcement. yes. so there's been a lot of talk swirling around and the time is now to finally announce i will be returning to the show for the next season in january. >> all right. fantastic.

people are clapping out there. they are excited out there. >> that's cute. oh my gosh. that's so cute. >> what made you decide to come back? >> the show has chosen to take on something very controversial. they are going to go after childhood obesity. there are going to be three teenagers on each team. they are not going to be on the ranch. they are not going to be competing, but it's obviously something that needs to be handled with kid gloves but something that needs to be handled. as a mom of two and a person who was an overweight kid, it's something i'm really passionate about and i want to be involved with. >> the show is going to start in january, which is not the usual time. that's the time when people are -- a new year, people looking for new beginnings. was that part of the reasoning? >> that is part of the reasoning, absolutely. let's capitalize on the momentum of a new year. but at the same time i think the show feels it has reached a huge level of success and feels a responsibility that comes with that and wants to make an impact

on this enormous problem we're suffering as a nation. >> look, this is a very tricky topic. >> i know. >> kids egos, their psyche. you can't do what you did with adults with children? >> absolutely not. the producers of the show have been consulting some of the top experts, ped triatricians, psychologists. we won't be saying to kids, how much weight did you lose? it will be using words like healthy, not getting them on a scale. getting them on a softball team. we're cognizant how controversial and cognizant. that's exactly where i want to be, right in the sweet spot, right in the frying pan. i couldn't miss an opportunity to be a part of it. >> speaking of jumping into the frying pan. so here you've got no kids, and now, lo and behold, you've got two kids. >> two kids. >> two and a half-year-old and a

newborn. >> he's four months now. >> yes. >> still got that new baby smell? >> he does. it's been such an incredible -- there they are. it's been such an incredible ride. i'm still adjusting, obviously. i don't know that i'll ever be fully be adjusted to it but there's nothing like it. it brings a whole new level of meaning to your life. >> you adopted, and then your partner had a baby. >> yes. >> how has it changed your life? has hasn't it? >> we don't have enough time for -- in every way. but the one thing it really has given me is this incredible perspective about what matters and what disroesn't. you really understand what's important, what you get upset about when you have kids, little things mean nothing. they are everything to you. your life, everything you do, you do for them. >> you are a bit of a control freak. how are you dealing with this? >> it's a challenge. i'm not going to pretend like it's not a challenge.

there are days when i'm definitely tearing out my hair. my daughter -- i was saying earlier my daughter, god has presented me with a 2-year-old mirror. she does everything, a mini me, no, no, no, no. get the hand, no. what do you mean no? what do you mean no? it's incredible, she's her own little person beaming through the universe. >> kids struggling with this health issue, what would that be? >> first, you are your child's primary role model. i'll put my kids on the battpad board, we go paddle boarding, in the side car biking. even though they are not exercising because they are little, they are seeing you do it. >> lead by example. >> lead by example. >> jillian michaels, so great to see you. great news, fantastic. inside a new park avenue appear, first your local news and weather.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. three double shootings in baltimore city have claimed the lives of at least two people this morning. police told 11 news that one person was killed in a double shooting, and under was killed in a double shooting of three hours earlier in brunn street.

detectives are also investigating a double shooting

>> weather should stay quiet through the morning hours. this afternoon we will see hit and miss thunderstorms. some of those will produce locally heavy amounts of rain. same thing tomorrow. >> thank you for joining us. another weather upd